The Moth Podcast: Bug Juice and Slushies

Date: August 29, 2025
Host: Michelle Jelawski
Theme: Liquid Nostalgia—two poignant and humorous tales of childhood vulnerabilities, sugar highs, and unexpected friendships, all centered on the simple joys (and embarrassing perils) of bug juice and slushies.

Episode Overview

This heartfelt episode explores the liquid-fueled moments of youth that stick with us forever. Through two live stories—one about bedwetting at summer camp and another about spilled slushies and making friends—the episode shines a spotlight on childhood anxiety, self-acceptance, and the surprising ways we find connection.

Key Stories and Discussion Points

1. Stacey Bader Curry: “Master Stacy, Bug Juice, and the Sleeping Bag Escape”

(Starts at 03:33)

• Setting & Context:

  • Stacey, in sixth grade, faces her chronic bedwetting (a secret shame), right before her very first school overnight trip to Fairview Lake, where “bug juice” (watered-down Kool-Aid) is the rumored delicacy.
  • Social anxiety runs high—she’s concerned about being different: “I hate that I am 11 and I still wet the bed” (06:02).
  • Admiration (and a pre-teen crush) for Kyle Peters, the boy who’d once given her an embarrassing nickname, looms in the background.

• The Incident:

  • Determined not to wet the bed, Stacey commits to forgoing bug juice—but succumbs, blaming the “overrated and dry” s’mores (04:34).
  • Wakes up in a wet sleeping bag, surrounded by classmates who could soon learn her secret.
  • Two girls linger as Stacey desperately tries to avoid exposure, resorting to “playing possum.”

• The Creative Escape:

  • In a panic, Stacey invents a Jewish tradition: “Did you guys know that in the Jewish faith it is tradition that you flip your mattress when you sleep someplace new?” (07:41)
  • The ruse works—the mattress gets flipped before anyone notices, and the stragglers wander off, weirded out.

• Self-Reflection and Humor:

  • Looking back, Stacey reconciles with her younger self’s struggles with identity, difference, and embarrassment.
  • Inspirational note: “I figured out that I can MacGyver my way out of any situation with a little fucking creativity” (07:28).
  • Final poetic justice: As an adult, she’s dry, proud of her hair and heritage—and refuses to “like” Kyle Peters' Instagram posts, despite his persistent attempts at connection.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “If I could go back in time, I would tell myself it’s all going to be fine. One day you’ll actually like your curly hair and being Jewish.” (06:41)
  • “Middle school sucks for everyone. But I’m glad future me wasn’t there to swoop in and rescue me, because I figured something out.” (07:22)

2. Denzel Jobson: “Slushies, Naruto, and an Unexpected Friendship”

(Starts at 12:21)

• Setting & Context:

  • Denzel, skinny, shy, with severe acne, starts sixth grade in Brooklyn—experiencing the jump from the "cheese bus" to the intimidating MTA.
  • Feels deeply out of place: “I was really into Japanese comics. Cool now, not cool in 2005.” (12:49)
  • Alienated by classmates and even teachers who mock his acne.

• The Slushie Incident:

  • Spring arrives, Mr. Softy ice cream truck is a daily highlight.
  • Extraordinary “happy accident”: Denzel accidentally spills a cherry slushie on Raphael, the school jock, drenching his black leather jacket—an event that instantly draws a chanting crowd: “Beat his ass, Raph. Fuck him up.” (13:48)

• A Moment of Vulnerability:

  • Denzel panics, runs home, dreads facing Raph.
  • Next morning, at the bus stop, Raph confronts him, but instead of violence, asks: “You fuck with Naruto?”—spotting the manga Denzel carries (15:18).

• Friendship Sparks:

  • Conversation about Naruto during the bus ride becomes the start of a transformative friendship.
  • Denzel recalls: “For the rest of the school year we go to school together and go home together every single day, just like talking about anime and life and girls and all the stuff you do.” (15:47)
  • Friendship grows into a tight-knit group, making those tough school years some of Denzel’s happiest.

• Reflection:

  • Life moves on, but the memory of the accidental slushie bond remains a source of gratitude and amazement.
  • Denzel credits this accident for helping him find “his people” and for teaching him about the serendipity of life.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “Somehow through Raph, I become cool. I’m prom king at the end of middle school, which is weird but awesome.” (16:33)
  • “I think back to just like that moment where these two boys who probably never would have been friends, but just like happenstance…leads to some of my happiest childhood memories.” (17:35)
  • “Shout out to Raphael and Mr. Softy.” (17:54)

Memorable Moments & Quotes with Timestamps

• On Being Different:
  • “I hate myself. I hate my frizzy hair. I hate...that I am 11 and I still wet the bed.” – Stacey Bader Curry (06:02)
• On Resilience:
  • “I figured out that I can MacGyver my way out of any situation with a little fucking creativity.” – Stacey Bader Curry (07:28)
• On Childhood Cruelty:
  • “Every time the teacher called on me in class, my classmates would shout out pizza face. And the teachers would laugh. They weren’t wrong.” – Denzel Jobson (13:13)
• The Turning Point:
  • “You fuck with Naruto?” – Raphael, as remembered by Denzel Jobson (15:18)
• Cherishing Happy Accidents:
  • “The happy accidents of life are where we discover our best selves.” – Michelle Jelawski (18:23 summary)

Structure / Timestamps for Easy Navigation

• Stacey Bader Curry’s Story: 03:33 – 09:43
• Denzel Jobson’s Story: 12:21 – 18:09

Tone

Both stories are told with warmth, vulnerability, humor, and the nostalgia of imperfect youth. The episode’s mood is equal parts compassionate and uplifting, in keeping with The Moth’s emphasis on shared experience and finding meaning (and laughter) in vulnerability.

Final Thoughts

The episode is a vivid reminder that the most mortifying or accidental childhood moments can become cherished memories and sources of lifelong strength and friendship. Whether it's flipping a mattress with clever wit or forging a bond over a spilled slushie and shared fandom, these stories celebrate how we grow from awkwardness and adversity.

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